For Eagles to Be Contenders, Andy Reid Needs To Balance Play Calling

On paper, last week’s matchup against the Oakland Raiders seemed like one of those “easy” wins for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Instead, the Eagles left Oakland in disbelief, wondering how they could have lost to a team that seemed to be far from the type of talent they had.

After averaging just over 31 points per game through Week Five, the Eagles struggled to get anything going on offense in a 13-9 loss to the Raiders.

The Eagles entered Sunday’s game with a chance to move closer to the New York Giants (5-1) in the NFC East standings after their 48-27 loss to New Orleans Saints. Now, they enter Week Seven with a 3-2 record and open up divisional play with a Monday night matchup against the Washington Redskins.

So what exactly went wrong for the Eagles last Sunday?

After looking over the statistics, it’s obvious Eagles Head Coach Andy Reid needs to do a better job balancing the number of rushing and passing plays called each game. While Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb threw the ball 46 times, the Eagles ran the ball just 14 times.

The question being asked in Philadelphia this week is why would Reid choose not to take advantage of a weak Raiders’ rushing defense?

The Raiders rank near the bottom of the standings by allowing 145.3 yards per game on the ground, good for 28th in the NFL. With decent weapons at running back in Brian Westbrook and LeSean McCoy—along with other players like Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin to use with the Wildcat formation—the Eagles should have pounded the ball against the Raiders' defense.

Instead, the Eagles’ running game managed just 71 yards on the ground in 14 attempts.

McNabb found himself throwing the ball more than he would have liked to, finishing 22-of-46 for 269 yards and zero touchdowns. He may not have turned the ball over, but he felt the pressure from the Raiders' defense all day as they recorded six sacks.

If the Eagles want to make themselves contenders in their division and the rest of the NFC, they need to figure out a way to balance out the play calling with running and throwing the ball. Otherwise, the city of Philadelphia may be scratching their heads over future losses similar to the one from Sunday.

Unfortunately for the Eagles and their fans, this isn’t the first time Reid has been criticized for not running the ball. Throughout his career with the Eagles, he has built a reputation as a coach who loves to throw the ball.

Hopefully, last week’s loss is a wake-up call for Reid, and will teach him that adjustments in the balance of play calling need to be made for the offense before it’s too late.

Dan Parzych Is the Eagles Fan Voice for NFLTouchdown.com